Nvidia Shield Becomes STB

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Nvidia reveals the next generation of Shield device at Game Developer Conference 2015, and it's neither a handheld console nor a tablet-- not when it combines "revolutionary TV", "gaming console" and "supercomputer."

Shield consoleMarketing hype aside, the latest Shield device is actually a gaming-focused STB reminiscent of the Amazon Fire TV. It carries an Nvidia X1 chip (with a 256-core Maxwell architecture GPU and 64-bit CPU) and runs games both locally and from the cloud via the GRID streaming service.

Nvidia also describes the device as the "first 4K Android TV," since Android TV is the OS of choice and it handles 4K video streams from both local and online sources, with HDMI handling connectivity to TVs. Game resolution reaches 1080p if customers have a 30Mbps connection, while those stuck at 10Mbps get 720p streams.

Control comes through gamepad complete with microphone for voice-based instructions. A regular-style remote control will also be available, together with a stand for customers wanting to position the machine vertically.

The Shield STB launches on May 2015 together with over 50 specially optimised Android games, with big names including Crysis, Doom3: BFG Edition and Borderlands: The Presequel.

Go Nvidia Shield